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Airi Natsume
» |alo race = |in-game occupation = |affiliation = «Brightscale» |base of operations = |status = Alive |voice actor = |appears in = «Sword Art Online (Kenji)» }} Airi Natsume (愛莉 奈爪), known by the username Asuka (明寿花), was one of the 10,000 players trapped in « ». She was a founding member of a called «Brightscale». Per the beginning of the SAO Incident Airi was a student in the third grade of upper secondary school. Airi served as one of two main supporting characters, the other being Yoshiro Kazuki, in the author's work, and has on occasion served as a POV character. Appearance Airi is a petite black-haired girl with a slight build and light brown-coloured eyes.SAOK: Roving Rovia Her hair is jaw-length, neatly styled, with a purple ribbon and clip on the left-hand side.SAOK: Unexpected Meetings The only members of the initial «Brightscale» lineup who were shorter and lighter than Airi were the twins.Akiye is 136 cm (4'5½") and 31 kg (68 lbs.), whilst Momoko is 137 cm (4'6") and 31 kg (68 lbs.). Airi is 151 cm (4'11½") and 39 kg (86 lbs). System effects A player's physical profile or appearance could change under certain circumstances in Sword Art Online. When activating her «Thieves Tool» composite, for example, Airi's usually brown-coloured eyes turned a distinct shade of purple.Thieves Tools Casual wear Yoshiro and Kusaka were the first combative members of «Brightscale» to adopt casual attire.SAOK: Inbetweeners III Momoko created a casual uniform rather than a strict battle uniform, allowing for the members of «Brightscale» to exhibit their own unique appearance when questing. The uniform she settled on was distinctly Eastern in design and consisted of a black-coloured kimono, white shitagi, black hakama, white ōbi, white tabi, waraji, and a simple armband with the «Brightscale» insignia emblazoned on its surface.Guild uniform Airi began wearing this uniform when she wasn't actively questing sometime before the 22nd of December 2022 and even when she wore it, she occasionally had her claws dangling from her belt as usual.SAOK: The Twin Sword Conundrum Early equipment Like Kenji, she initially wore minimal protective gear, preferring cloth cloaks and light leather armour.SAOK: The Business of Grinding She remarked that she disliked the thought of wearing heavy armour, calling it unattractive, but compromised following a near-death experience on the 1st Floor and equipped the «Lightweight Galerus» and «Lightweight Manica» given to her by Kenji. This gear covered her entire left arm up to the shoulder in tightly-weaved and lightweight armour. She wore her claws dangling from her belt but has also been shown wearing them casually on her hands like a set of gloves, with the blades safely retracted. Exiles Threads & Cloak Even when Kenji and her guild mates adopted a more protective load-out Airi continued to prioritize stealth with only slight metallic protection.SAOK: The Moneymaking Crusade The «Lightweight Galerus» and «Lightweight Manica» given to her by Kenji on the 1st Floor continued to be worn on her left-arm as her only protective metallic equipment. Airi's first unique set of armour consisted of the Exiles Threads, which comprised the upper-body and leg slots, and the Exiles Cloak, which comprised the head and neck slots. The suit was a dark-brown studded leather jacket, the lower-half were tan-leggings, whilst the cloak was of a plain brown leather with a simple metallic clasp at the neck and a bonnet attachment.Exiles Threads appearanceExiles Cloak appearance She later added the «Sheath Knife Belt» to her waist slot, which held three «Throwing Picks», and the «Stalker Boots» to her feet, which were given to her by Kenji. Both pieces of equipment were dropped by the «Fallen Elf Commander» on the 3rd Floor and served to replace her initial equipment pieces. Personality Airi is an energetic, sociable, and empathic personality.SAOK: Pushing the Frontier She is empathetic, finding it easy to imagine how someone feels in a situation, or read the currents of a room. This caring nature led her to support Kenji in his guardianship of Akiye and Momoko.SAOK: The Karma Scales It also led her to stand up for her friends, especially against the temperamental Kusaka or the sometimes childish Kenji, which clearly demonstrates her maturity in comparison.SAOK: Braving the Depths Because of her willingness to stand up to and challenge him when he was being difficult, Airi was one of the few people whom Kusaka genuinely respected. This was perhaps shown most strongly during the pitched battle with «Zagan the Exile». Kusaka, despite arguing at length with Airi the night before, instantly came to her defence when «Zagan» launched a surprise attack against her that would have proved fatal had it connected.SAOK: The Eventful Taurus In addition, Airi looked after the mental welfare of her guild mates. She achieved this by acting both as a confident and by encouraging her friends to write what they weren't comfortable talking about in a private journal.Brightscale JournalBrightscale Journal/FujimaruBrightscale Journal/Kusaka Her sociability and empathy aside, Airi has a devious streak and a playful side. She often teased Kenji and played pranks on Kusaka, and even began amending Kenji's private journal entries with humorous amendments. Her messages to Kenji often possessed a joking tone and their conversations often involved Airi ribbing Kenji, one notable example being when she called his grey hairs "distinguished". Airi wasn't a gamer: Sword Art Online was the first game she played, and this was done mostly on a whim. She lacked basic gaming knowledge, examples being stat buffs, but was familiar with certain aspects, namely rare and randomized loot. By the time «Brightscale» was established as an official guild, Airi's knowledge had grown considerably, with her remarking that she had a good teacher in Kenji. As frequently noted by Yoshiro -- who used it as a means of teasing her -- Airi is fascinated by treasure and has built her Skills in-game around this, resulting in her acquirement of the «Composite» collectively known as «Thieves Tools». This was of particular use during her guild's run through the «Dead Woods Mausoleum», with Kenji noting that Airi's focus was, at the time, unique to her alone. At the time it was almost unheard of for players to have anything other than combat-focused Skills slotted, and the few who did -- such as Fujimaru -- often faced ridicule.SAOK: Inbetweeners II Her unique talents were further reinforced when other guilds requested Airi to serve as their scout when running the «Dead Woods Mausoleum» for themselves, which she was only too happy to do.SAOK: New Year Resolutions One of her real-life characteristics that not only survived translation to Sword Art Online but actually flourished was her general love for food. Airi could best be described as a gourmet. She enjoys experiencing new flavours, with a marked preference for sweets and desserts, to the point Kenji began carrying small long-lasting treats around in his inventory which could be given to her at a moment's notice. In the real world she was an accomplished cook and although she did not possess the «Cooking» Skill in Sword Art Online, preferring Skills usable in combat or exploration instead, Airi frequently helped the young Momoko gather materials to cook with, resulting in a cookbook that was constantly evolving. This led to the development of the «Brightscale Eatery»: a shop attached to the main «Brightscale» guild ran by Momoko with Airi serving as a consultant regarding flavours, which offered food which more closely imitated its real-world counterpart.Brightscale Eatery Despite showing little fear standing up to the likes of Kusaka, or even fighting the likes of «Zagan the Exile», Airi is not without her fears. In the real world she is allergic to and given that even the smallest insect in Aincrad is 50 cm in length, her aversion is quite strong. Her fears also extend to the undead creatures first encountered by «Brightscale» during their exploration of the «Dead Woods Mausoleum», with Kenji noting on her discomfort engaging such monsters. She was able to partially overcome her discomfort however as she was more than willing to help other players navigate the various traps prevalent throughout the «Dead Woods Mausoleum». Airi is known particularly for her strength of character. Despite suffering numerous setbacks in Sword Art Online, chief amongst them no less than three near-death experiences in the month of December 2022 alone, she retained a confident outlook. Relationship with Kenji Airi and Kenji were an item who were described as "knowing each other's heart".Intermission: A Matter of Skills and Proficiency Airi and Kenji met on the 3rd of December 2022, with Kenji and Kusaka coming to Airi's rescue against an « ». She was both impressed and intrigued by Kenji, who not only offered to allow her to party with them for her own safety, but also because he gifted her several pieces of lightweight protective gear to improve her paltry defences without want or thought of compensation. The pair shared an almost instant attraction, which was first noticed by Kusaka, and these feelings were reciprocated despite Kenji's initial hesitation regarding the feasibility of a relationship in Aincrad. Towards the end of 2022 the two began spending more time with one another outside monster farming and quest completion, and they eventually set aside a couple of days here and there to do absolutely nothing related to gaming, with Kenji openly asking Airi if she wanted to go on a date with him. Their relationship was often a subject of debate amongst the «Brightscale» members, whether the pair happened to be present or not, with how intimate they were being a frequent question. Kenji kept tight-lipped about the physical aspects of their relationship but made no secret that he considered Airi his emotional support. The first to notice the attraction was Kusaka and it was he, in his capacity as Kenji's "wingman", that encouraged Kenji to pursue a relationship with Airi in the first place. Ino was also very interested in the "juicy details" of their relationship and frequently chided Airi regarding it, much to Airi's anger. This did not stop the pair becoming good friends however. Yoshiro and Sojiro showed little interest either way though Yoshiro was often on-hand with advice and experience as a married man. Airi was one of the few people capable of talking Kenji around or, when he was being especially difficult, make him see sense. Kenji was going to go to great lengths to chide Fujimaru and Akiye regarding their closeness, but was immediately admonished by Airi, and he subsequently left the young pair alone. History Airi grew up on , which was one of the volcanic islands of the , and described herself as an "island girl". Synopsis :Main article -- Sword Art Online (Kenji). Aincard arc Part I: Companionship *SAOK: Unexpected Meetings *SAOK: Pushing the Frontier *SAOK: The Karma Scales *SAOK: The Business of Grinding *SAOK: The Moneymaking Crusade *SAOK: The Twin Sword Conundrum *SAOK: Roving Rovia *SAOK: Braving the Depths *SAOK: New Year Resolutions Intermission *Intermission: A Matter of Skills and Proficiency Part II: Determination Stats Equipment Weapons Armour Accessories Skills Airi's primary role is reconnaissance, her equipped Skills designed around dungeon exploration and trap avoidance, whilst her secondary role is general crowd-control during battle.Brightscale Roles Her third Skill Slot, «Trap Dismantling», and her fourth Skill Slot, «Picking», aided her primary function, whilst her second Skill Slot, «Sprint», provided enhanced movement speed and a passive boost for system-assisted evasion of enemy attacks. Her fifth Skill slot, «Throwing Blade», was taken to maximize the effectiveness of her «Sheath Knife Belt», and rounded out Airi's role as a Scout. Although she lacked the «Hiding» Skill this did not impact her ability to hide from monsters or players. Airi possessed two custom-made and wholly unique pieces of clothing made for her by Momoko dubbed the «Exiles Threads» and «Exiles Cloak» respectively, that provided a «Hiding» buff that effectively acted as a high-level «Hiding» Skill that was activated by Airi in the same vein as an actual Skill.Exiles Threads attributesExiles Cloak attributes By the time «Brightscale» began questing on the 5th Floor Airi had essentially adopted the classic thief archetype common in numerous role-playing games, with Skill Slots devoted to «Trap Dismantling» and «Picking». These two Skills combined to create several composite effects not documented by the system, and are thus required to be discovered by the player themselves. Airi referred to these effects as her «Thieves Tools». Word of Airi's abilities spread and quickly led to her being hired by other guilds to help them deal with traps in dungeons, one notable example being the «Last Remnant» guild. During combat, Airi's focus is on blitzkrieg tactics with the claw-focused «Wild Dance» Skill, though she has implemented randomized movements at Kenji's suggestion to trip up the learning abilities of the AI-controlled monsters she faces. She lacks both the equipment and the stats to withstand an opponent's attacks, with Kenji noting that a single attack from «Zagan the Exile» would have been enough to kill her even if she was struck at full HP. Airi is aware of this weakness thankfully and although she has taken steps to mitigate it, she rarely operates as a solo player after joining up with Kenji and Kusaka, preferring instead to act as a backup to the primary damage-dealer in whatever party she joins.Brightscale Teams Because of her physical stature and Agility-focused build, Airi is remarkably fast, whose choice of damage primarily includes various damage-over-time effects she can inflict without even using a Sword Skill. This allows for swift and easily sustainable damage over extended periods of time. Her chances of inflicting DoT damage can be easily bolstered by a food buff available on the 2nd Floor. Sword Art Online Sword Skills Wild Dance *«'Pinpoint Step'» -- a retreating strike consisting of two attacks. The first strike, which is a charging attack, pierces the target's midsection. The second strike involves the user kicking off the opponent with their legs whilst slashing with their claws, resulting in a leap-back of five metres. *«'Patient Defence'» -- a counter-based defensive skill. Automatically dodge one incoming attack and follow-up with a slashing strike. Only works on Human-sized enemies. *«'Acute Vault'» -- a charging Sword Skill that covers several metres worth of distance. *«'Flurry of Blows'» -- a five-strike combination attack comprising four swift jabs and finished off with an uppercut attack. 80% of the Sword Skill comprises piercing damage whilst the final 20% is slashing damage. Supplementary Skills Sprint *«'Burst'» -- a player-activated enhancement that provides an unspecified increase to the player's movement speed. Kenji identified Airi as a «Sprint» user very early based on the speed of her movemets during battle. *«'Evasion Boost'» -- a passive effect that boosts the player's effectiveness at dodging strikes through a percentage chance of system-assisted evasion. Kenji identified Airi as a «Sprint» user based on her combat style during their attempt to acquire a set of «Dire Wolf Claws». Thieves Tools *«'Keen Eyes'» -- a composite effect produced by «Trap Dismantling» and «Picking» which is not listed by the system. Greatly increases trap detection in dungeons and chests and more effective than the standard «Trap Dismantling» Mods. Word of Airi's abilities spread and quickly led to her being hired by other guilds to help them deal with traps in dungeons. *«'Dexterous Feat'» -- a composite effect produced by «Trap Dismantling» and «Picking» which is not listed by the system. Greatly increases the likelihood of successfully picking locks and more effective than the standard «Picking» Mods. Word of Airi's abilities spread and quickly led to her being hired by other guilds to help them deal with traps in dungeons. Outside System Skills *«'Mislead'» -- The act of tricking the learning capability of engaged monsters in order to gain an advantage. Most prominently employed by Airi at Kenji's insistence through usage of seemingly random movements to effectively confuse engaged foes. Author's notes Behind the scenes *Airi's height and weight measurements, including physical appearance, is modelled on Momo Hinamori from Bleach. *Airi was the sole «Brightscale» member not to be included, or even mentioned, in the Inbetweener side-stories of Part I. The closest she came was the original draft of what would have been Inbetweeners VI. This chapter eventually evolved into the Intermission: A Matter of Skills and Proficiency chapter. Trivia *Airi has two cats in the real world. References & notes References }} Notes Category:Characters Category:Female